


This Pull is Curiously Strong

by TheNutcase



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Altoid AU, F/F, Fluff, Hope Mikaelson & Lizzie Saltzman Friendship, Humor, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNutcase/pseuds/TheNutcase
Summary: Hope and Lizzie are tasked with the one thing that no one ever wants to do – sitting at a table outside Walmart and attempting to flag down random passerby to taste-test the new flavor of Altoids.Lizzie isn't happy when Josie and MG set up a table for Mentos right beside them.Or,The Altoid-centric AU to celebrate Hosie’s recent corporate endorsements.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 12
Kudos: 170





	This Pull is Curiously Strong

Lizzie swerved into the Walmart parking lot like a bat out of hell. The second she parked, Hope practically dove out of the van, her chest heaving and her eyes frantic.

Lizzie took her time getting out, casually kicking open the door and brushing off her pants with an oblivious smile on her face. She reached into the car to grab her coffee, slammed the door and circled around the back of the van until she came face-to-face with Hope on the passenger’s side.

Hope was hunched over with her hands on her knees, looking like she’d just narrowly avoided death. “Who the hell gave you your license?” she gasped out, her eyes wide and bewildered.

Lizzie shrugged nonchalantly, looking completely indifferent to the fact that Hope was so distraught. “I had to drive fast to minimize the chance of us being photographed in this monstrosity,” she explained, gesturing vaguely to the van.

It was just a typical, standard van, aside from the fact that it was the color of mustard and branded with a massive Altoids logo. 

Hope had to admit that the logo did not quite fit the van’s color scheme, but that didn’t mean that she was willing to die to avoid being seen in it. “Lizzie,” she began carefully, managing to slightly calm herself and stand up straight. “It’s not like the paparazzi is lurking around waiting to catch you in an ugly car.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, raising her coffee cup to her lips. She decided to chug the remainder of her coffee before replying, slurping obnoxiously and tilting her head back like she was staring up at the clouds. Hope sighed impatiently when the Tim Horton’s logo blocked her view of Lizzie’s face for an extended silence. 

Lizzie cleared her throat when she finished, opening the van’s door and carelessly tossing the cup inside, much to Hope’s dismay. “Stop complaining, Mikaelson,” Lizzie snapped irritably, slamming the door shut again. “It’s not like I crashed. If you wanted safe driving, you shouldn’t have forgotten your license at home.”

Hope scowled. “License or not, _I’m_ driving us back later,” she said, snatching the keys out of Lizzie’s hand and clipping them to her belt loop.

“Whatever,” Lizzie replied, not putting up much resistance. She moved to the back of the van, pulling open the doors. “Let’s just get this over with before I decide the money’s not worth it.”

Lizzie pulled a big box out of the back of the van. She was already walking toward the store’s entrance by the time Hope managed to pick up her own box.

Less than a half hour later, Hope and Lizzie had managed to set up a table outside the sliding doors of the store’s entrance. Hope lugged over two chairs on her last trip from the van as Lizzie waited, leaning up against the table and staring at her nails with a bored look on her face.

“I don’t know why I expected you to help out more,” Hope grumbled under her breath.

Lizzie ignored her, sitting down in one of the chairs the second Hope unfolded it. “Ready for a long day of people treating us like we’re inanimate objects?” she snarked with a raised eyebrow.

Hope glanced over at her with a frown, unfolding her own chair beside Lizzie’s and sitting down, too. “Maybe it won’t be so bad,” she suggested with a shrug. 

“It will,” Lizzie claimed with the utmost certainty. “I hate that we got sent here to do this, it’s humiliating. The company should be putting my unique talents to use, but they have us out here running a lemonade stand.”

Hope sighed. “I mean, you’re more cut out for this sort of thing than I am,” she mumbled under her breath with a frown. She distracted herself by reaching out to tidy the table – the little pamphlets, the bowl with individually wrapped altoids. “It’s not like you’re shy.”

Lizzie let out a short laugh. “I wouldn’t exactly call _you_ shy, either,” she said with a pointed look. “Just antisocial.”

Hope scowled. “Thanks for the feedback,” she drawled sarcastically.

“Anyway, all I’m saying is that I could be a much better asset if I were higher up on the food chain,” Lizzie said haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest. “I wish our bosses could see that.”

Hope spared Lizzie a glance out of the corner of her eye, busy adjusting the tablecloth. “I have no doubt that you’ll someday be the CEO, Lizzie,” she replied, managing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice by some miracle. “But let’s just try to get these signatures for now.”

Lizzie sighed dramatically, slouching in her seat like she was being forced to endure immense suffering. “I’ll be surprised if we get _one_ signature,” she whined. “If there were a high demand for chocolate-covered mints, the company wouldn’t have discontinued them in the first place.”

Hope glanced at the bowl serving as the centerpiece of their table, full of individually wrapped chocolate-covered Altoids. “Well, we still have to try,” she insisted, realizing that Lizzie was probably going to make the task far more difficult than it had to be. Hope looked away from Lizzie as she noticed a middle-aged man climb out of his car in the parking lot and begin to approach the store’s entrance. “That guy looks friendly enough. Let’s try with him.”

Lizzie followed Hope’s gaze, watching the man as he shoved his keys into his back pocket. “Okay, I’ve got this,” Lizzie said after a deep breath, apparently taking the task very seriously. She perked up as the guy approached, sitting up straighter in her chair and leaning toward him with a clearly fake smile. “Excuse me, kind sir, can I interest you in –” 

The man crossed the threshold into the store without even glancing at them once.

Lizzie scoffed, slumping back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest with a pathetic pout. “People are so rude,” she complained.

But Hope wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. She had tuned Lizzie out the moment she caught sight of a pretty brunette walking through the parking lot toward them, carrying a folded table much like theirs.

Lizzie realized that Hope was distracted with a frown. Her expression fell into a scowl the second she saw who Hope was staring at. “Oh _no_ ,” Lizzie groaned dramatically. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

The brunette hadn’t noticed them yet – she was busy wrestling with the table, which was a little bit too bulky and awkward for one person to carry. Hope felt herself fall into some sort of trance-like state as she watched, only snapping out of it when she heard Lizzie clear her throat beside her.

Luckily for Hope, Lizzie hadn't seemed to notice that Hope was leering like a creep. Lizzie was preoccupied with clearing her throat and puffing out her chest to brace herself while she waited for the girl to get close enough to speak to.

The brunette hadn’t even noticed them yet – she was struggling with lugging around the table and doing her best to avoid getting hit by a car in the process.

“Hello, Josette,” Lizzie called out when the mystery girl had finally made it to the sidewalk, no more than ten feet away from them. Lizzie’s tone was unusually hostile and stand-offish right off the bat, which confused Hope to no end. 

The brunette jumped, her eyes widening with surprise when she glanced up to see Lizzie. Her eyes quickly filled with recognition, and then with dread. She continued to walk toward them, though she now seemed very reluctant to do so.

Hope glanced back and forth between Lizzie and the newcomer, not quite understanding what was going on. Lizzie just glared at the brunette intensely, ignoring Hope’s curious look altogether. “Do _not_ tell me that you are about to set up a table to promote Mentos right next to us while we’re out here trying to promote Altoids,” Lizzie snapped.

Josie just rolled her eyes in response, releasing a heavy sigh. “Look, Lizzie,” she replied, already sounding exhausted by the exchange. “Dad told me that I had to come here today, I didn’t have a choice.”

Lizzie gasped dramatically, placing her hand over her heart. “Well, let’s just call this what it is,” she began, scandalized. “A _betrayal_.”

Josie gave Lizzie an unimpressed look, like she was far too used to having to deal with this behavior. Her eyes darted over to Hope for the first time, and they widened slightly with surprise. She stared at Hope for an intense moment, as though she saw something significant in her.

Hope swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious under Josie's gaze. “Um, hi,” she blurted out gracelessly, immediately blushing a bit at how awkward she sounded. “I’m Hope.”

Josie scanned Hope up and down and raised an amused eyebrow. “Josie,” she introduced herself with a small, shy grin pulling at the corners of her lips.

Lizzie raised an eyebrow herself, looking back and forth between the two with suspicion. She opted not to comment on their staring contest, apparently choosing to mind her own business for once. “Hope, this is my _traitor_ twin sister,” she said instead.

Hope’s lips parted in surprise and she turned to stare at Lizzie. “Twin?” she echoed quietly.

“Fraternal, obvs,” Lizzie said dismissively, her accusatory glare not yet shifting away from Josie.

Josie scowled, breaking eye contact with Hope to stare back at Lizzie. “You’re calling _me_ a traitor?” she asked, her tone disbelieving.

Lizzie shrugged. “You work for the inferior mint company,” she stated matter-of-factly. “The one that apparently organizes its marketing just to _sabotage_ Altoids.”

Josie rolled her eyes in response. “Lizzie,” she said with a stern glare. “Stop it. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that we both happened to be sent here on the same day.”

Lizzie scoffed, not buying that excuse at all. “I don’t think it’s a _coincidence_ ,” she accused. “I think the only logical explanation is that your company has planted a spy in mine.”

Hope’s brow furrowed and she frowned, choosing this moment to chime in. “Well, that’s a bit of a stretch,” she said carefully, attempting to diffuse the tension.

Josie looked over at Hope again. Hope automatically tensed like a bowstring at the attention. “Thank you, Hope,” Josie said slowly, looking authentically grateful and surprised.

Lizzie scowled at the interaction, not at all pleased about the fact that her sister and her coworker were getting along. 

“Oh, whatever,” she huffed, forcing Josie’s attention to shift back to her. “Is MG with you?”

Josie was relieved to see that Lizzie intended to drop their pointless argument. “Yes,” she answered. “He’s just getting some things together back at the car.”

Lizzie seemed pleased to receive this information, acknowledging it with a curt nod and a tight-lipped smile. When Josie realized that Lizzie was done arguing with her for the time being, she decided to attempt to set up the table.

It wasn’t an easy task for one person. Josie probably would’ve been able to get it done by herself eventually, but the second Hope saw her struggling to pull out both sides of the table at the same time, she bolted out of her chair abruptly enough to make Lizzie flinch. 

Hope moved quickly to help Josie unfold the table while Lizzie stared at her from behind like she had three heads. Josie gave Hope a grateful smile and giggled a little bit when Hope beamed back at her. 

Lizzie pretended to gag, snapping both Hope and Josie out of their weird mating ritual. “Hope, if you’re done fraternizing with the enemy, we have a mission to get back to,” Lizzie said sharply.

Hope looked shocked, paling at the insinuation and avoiding eye contact with both Lizzie and Josie as she made her way back to her chair. Josie blushed, sending Hope a sheepish smile when Hope finally glanced back up at her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, very unhappy about the exchange. _Great_ , she thought to herself sarcastically. _My sister is trying to seduce my coworker into joining Mentos._

MG arrived soon afterward carrying a couple of chairs. He smiled widely when he saw Lizzie, and Lizzie thanked God that at least with him here she wouldn’t have to third wheel all day.

* * *

Lizzie scowled as the next guy approaching the store appeared to be just slightly over the line toward the Mentos side. Josie looked eager to jump on the opportunity, even though MG had just gone into the store to use the bathroom.

The four of them had reached an unspoken agreement that they would have dibs on new customers based on which table person walked closer to as they approached the store, but Lizzie wasn’t at all pleased with it. That may have had something to do with the fact that the last three customers happened to be marginally closer to Josie’s table.

Josie didn’t notice Lizzie’s irritation, focused entirely on trying to catch the latest customer’s attention. He glanced at her, unable to resist her genuine, warm smile. “Hey there, what’s your name?” Josie asked, the greeting casual and friendly.

Hope felt her stomach flip in response to Josie’s smile. Josie was so _pretty;_ and, just based on what Hope had so far observed, she was also rather charming. 

Hope found it extremely attractive. She couldn’t recall feeling such an instant pull toward anyone before.

The customer only hesitated for a moment before he stopped walking and turned to face Josie with a genuine smile of his own. “I’m Kaleb,” he answered. “Nice to meet you.”

Josie smiled wider, glad to see that she’d successfully captured his attention with minimal awkwardness. “Nice to meet you, too, Kaleb,” she replied. “I’m Josie. I work for Mentos – we’re trying to get an idea of whether or not people will like the new flavor before we launch it. Would you mind trying it out and telling me what you think?”

Kaleb looked slightly taken off guard by the elaborate request, but he quickly recovered. “Uh, sure,” he answered with a shrug. “Why not?”

Josie responded to that with a goofy, self-satisfied grin that made butterflies erupt in Hope’s stomach. 

Hope simply thought that Josie was amazing – particularly because of the fact that all of this tabling stuff seemed to come so naturally to her. In contrast, Hope was terrible at it. She didn’t really know how to initiate a conversation with a stranger without being awkward or off-putting, and she also didn’t know what to say even if she did manage to get someone’s attention. 

As a result, Lizzie was doing most of the work while Hope just handed out pamphlets and tried to force herself to smile. Lizzie was a little bit too aggressive when she tried to talk to passerby, but Josie was obviously a pro.

Kaleb popped a Mento into his mouth and paused for a moment, taking in the flavor. “Hey, this is actually pretty good,” he admitted, sounding slightly impressed about it.

Lizzie cleared her throat obnoxiously. “Altoids are far superior to Mentos, sir,” she called out, interrupting the conversation. “No matter how much she tries to convince you otherwise.”

Hope slapped Lizzie on the arm instantly, ignoring her surprised yelp. “Lizzie, don’t be rude,” she hissed sharply, giving Lizzie a stern look and flushing with secondhand embarrassment.

Lizzie scowled, rubbing her arm as though Hope had hit her much harder than she had. “What?” she retorted defensively, apparently not seeing anything wrong with what she’d said. “I’m doing him a service. He was about to be conned by a Mento-pusher.” 

Josie was giving Lizzie an unimpressed but unsurprised glare. Kaleb spun around to look at Lizzie, apparently very surprised about her interruption himself. He glanced down at the Altoids logo printed on the tablecloth. “Oh. Uh, I never knew the mint business was so… competitive,” he said uncertainly, glancing between the two tables with a slightly bewildered look on his face. “Are you guys at war or something?”

Lizzie huffed, petulantly crossing her arms over her chest and once again glaring at Josie. “It’s more of a cold war. I think I’ve been doing pretty well tolerating the _betrayal_ of my twin, all things considered,” she drawled.

Hope grimaced, hiding her face in her hands as she attempted to convince herself that she was anywhere else. 

“Lizzie,” Josie started, her tone neutral and her expression unreadable. “It’s not that serious.”

Lizzie’s eyebrows rose to her hairline, as though that were the most absurd thing she’d ever heard in her entire life. “The fact that you prefer Mentos to Altoids is _beyond_ serious,” she spat with an angry scoff. “Maybe if we were identical, you’d have taste.”

Josie seemed to lose whatever battle she’d been fighting to hide her emotions; the irritation began to shine through clearly on her face. “I’m not sitting over here because I _prefer Mentos to Altoids_ ,” she retorted with a scowl, clearly frustrated. “I’m doing my job.”

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed, her expression calculating as though she had just noticed an opening for a jab. “So, does that mean that you prefer Altoids, then?” she asked, her voice deceptively innocent and casual.

Josie groaned, exasperated. “I’ve never even tried an Altoid!” she exclaimed, flinging her hands up in the air like she was barely restraining herself from leaping over the table and punching Lizzie in the face.

Lizzie gasped. “ _What?!”_ she blurted out in shock, looking like this was the scandal of the century.

“Lizzie, just leave her alone,” Hope snapped, irritated that Lizzie was deliberately making Josie’s job so difficult. Lizzie gaped at Hope as though she had stabbed her in the back.

Hope rolled her eyes, refusing to acknowledge Lizzie’s dramatics. Josie was also staring at Hope, shocked that Lizzie’s coworker was defending her. She gave Hope an appreciative smile that took Hope’s breath away. 

Kaleb, meanwhile, was just staring at all of them, looking a bit disoriented. When the group fell into silence for a long pause, Kaleb broke it by clearing his throat and clasping his hands in front of him with a loud clap. “Welp, that was interesting,” he observed, interrupting the second staring contest Hope and Josie had engaged in today. “Y’all don’t need to get so angry, I can just sign both of your petitions.”

Josie blushed as she thanked him, opting not to correct him about the fact that what he would be signing wasn’t exactly a _petition_ , per se. She became embarrassed for Lizzie, since Lizzie apparently didn’t have the sense to be embarrassed for herself.

* * *

At around noon, MG pulled his lunch out of his backpack. Everyone else followed his lead, pulling out their own packed lunches.

Josie frowned as she dug through her bag, coming up short. “Awe, man,” she began. “I think I left my lunch in the fridge.”

Josie glanced up at MG with a miserable pout, and then she looked over at Hope and Lizzie’s table. MG and Hope both frowned to express their sympathy, but Lizzie just scowled. “Don’t look at me,” she said dismissively, having splayed out something that looked akin to a five-course meal on the table in front of her. “I’m not sharing. Especially not my Walkers Crisps. I had to have them imported.”

Hope recoiled, tilting her head to stare at Lizzie like she was nuts. “Why would you import those?” she asked, confused. “Couldn’t you just buy Lay’s?”

Lizzie looked back at Hope, staring at her like _she_ was nuts. “It’s not the same,” she claimed, opening the bag and digging out a chip.

Hope wasn’t quite ready to drop the subject. “I’m pretty sure it is,” she replied, sounding not entirely certain of herself. “They’re from the same company, the name’s just different.”

Lizzie stared at her dangerously. Hope found her silence very disturbing.

MG cleared his throat to break the tension. “You can have half of my sandwich if you want, Jo,” he offered, holding up his sandwich to put it on display.

Josie glanced at it warily. “Is there meat in it?” she asked.

MG frowned. “Oh,” he grunted. “Yeah. Sorry, I forgot.”

“That’s okay,” Josie mumbled to herself, her eyes falling to her lap and her pout intensifying. “I guess I can just go in and buy something.”

Hope felt a pang in her chest in response to the defeated look on Josie’s face. “You can have half of mine,” she blurted out instinctively, surprised when she heard herself speak. Hope shrugged when Josie looked up at her, swallowing thickly to get a hold of herself. “It’s just a spinach wrap.”

Josie looked extremely surprised that Hope had offered, a furious blush erupting on her cheeks. “I love spinach,” she said softly, looking at Hope as though she were an angel. “Thank you, Hope.”

Hope smiled warmly in response, hopping out of her chair once again to bring Josie her sandwich. “No problem,” she murmured quietly under her breath, handing Josie half of her sandwich and quickly returning to her seat.

Hope was surprised when she looked up to find Josie still staring back at her. She gulped nervously, but she couldn’t help but stare back, her jaw going slack and her eyes widening as she watched Josie study her.

Lizzie cleared her throat dramatically after a moment, and Hope tore her eyes away from Josie. She realized with dread that they had been caught, if the accusatory look on Lizzie’s face was anything to go by.

“Hope, may I speak to you for a moment in private?” Lizzie requested, the statement far too formal and tight to be anything other than a command. Lizzie stood and grabbed Hope by the wrist before she could reply, practically yanking her out of the chair. “MG, guard our mints,” she called over her shoulder as she dragged Hope around the side of the building. 

Hope sputtered out a noise of protest, not appreciating being manhandled. 

Lizzie halted abruptly and spun around to face Hope, her eyes wild. “Hope, why were you just making _heart eyes_ at my sister?!” she asked, propping her hands on her hips like she was scolding a child.

Hope’s eyes widened and she gaped for a moment before snapping her mouth shut. “I wasn't making _heart eyes_ ,” she whispered harshly. The statement wasn’t very convincing, especially considering the way that Hope immediately broke eye contact and shifted nervously on her feet.

Lizzie glared, making it very clear that she was not at all buying what Hope was selling. “Snap out of it, Mikaelson!” she commanded. “We sell ‘Curiously Strong Mints’, not ‘Strongly Bicurious Mints’!”

Hope instantly looked horrified, recoiling at the accusation like she didn’t know how to respond. “Wha… I…,” she trailed off awkwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up. Hope’s shocked expression fell into a miserable scowl. “I hate you,” she growled under her breath, not really meaning it.

Lizzie just pursed her lips. Then, she rolled her eyes, becoming a lot calmer as she dropped the theatrics. “Okay, but seriously,” she began, sounding a lot more neutral about it now. “Be honest. Are you attracted to my sister?”

Hope nearly choked on her own spit, feeling herself beginning to freak out. “No!” she replied, her voice frantic.

Lizzie stared at Hope blankly for an extended pause, raising an eyebrow.

Hope deflated with a sigh. “Okay, fine,” she muttered reluctantly, staring down at her shoes. “Yes.”

Instead of replying, Lizzie just looked at her expectantly, her eyebrow rising further as though she expected Hope to continue.

“Stop looking at me like that!” Hope snapped irritably, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t know what you want me to say, okay? I just think she’s really pretty.”

Lizzie scoffed. “Of course she’s pretty, we share genes,” she deadpanned.

Hope rolled her eyes at that, giving Lizzie a look. “It’s not just that. She seems…,” she trailed off, feeling very awkward and suddenly wishing she had never started to speak. “Well, she seems sweet,” she finally said, her jaw visibly ticking as she stared at the wall.

Lizzie laughed to herself, looking like she couldn’t believe the way that Hope was acting. “Oh, my God,” she started, sounding incredibly amused. “You’re _already_ this whipped?”

Hope scowled, her eyes darkening as she glared. “Lizzie, stop it,” she snapped. Lizzie just laughed harder, apparently finding this hilarious. Hope groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose to cope with the frustration. “Do we really have to talk about this?”

“Yes,” Lizzie said simply, shrugging as though it were simply a fact. “She was giving you heart eyes, too, so I’m obligated as her sister to give you the talk before you make a move.”

Hope’s eyes widened. She couldn’t imagine anything more horrifying. “Lizzie, please –”

“Look, just don’t hurt my sister, or I _will_ find a way to get you fired,” Lizzie interrupted, her tone dead serious.

Hope just stared at her, speechless from the shock.

Lizzie pursed her lips as another thought occurred to her. “And don’t you _dare_ let her convince you to run away with her and join Mentos,” Lizzie continued, the threat obvious in her voice. “Or I _will_ have to sabotage your wedding.”

Hope's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to protest, but Lizzie was already storming back around the corner toward their table.

* * *

After a while, Lizzie seemed to be passing the time by staring intently at her watch.

The moment the minute hand hit three o’clock, she leaped out of her seat abruptly enough to startle both Hope and MG. “Welp, thank God that’s over,” Lizzie said through a yawn, stretching her back with no shame. Josie just observed her, not surprised at all. Lizzie stared at Josie when her yawn was over and done with. “Now that I’m off the clock, we no longer have to be openly hostile toward each other, Jo.”

Josie scowled. “We?” she muttered resentfully under her breath, although Lizzie was already paying no attention to her. Hope smiled to herself, taking a subtle glance at Josie’s annoyed expression out of the corner of her eye. It was too cute to ignore.

MG stood up as well after checking his watch, beginning to pack up everything on the table. Apparently, their schedules just happened to perfectly align. Maybe there _was_ a Mentos spy, Hope absentmindedly thought to herself. 

MG began to neatly pack away the pamphlets and leftover Mentos in a box that he'd set down on his chair. “Do you guys maybe want to grab something to eat?” he suggested, sending Lizzie a hopeful, excited smile.

Lizzie put a box on the ground and aggressively knocked everything off of the table in its direction. Hope gaped in awe at the resulting mess, but Lizzie just began to speak as though there were nothing wrong with that strategy at all. “I’m craving a cinnamon roll,” she said wistfully, glancing to the side as though she were thinking. “Is there a Cinnabon’s around here?”

Hope knelt down to gather up some of the Altoids that had missed their mark and fallen on the ground. “That’s so specific,” she muttered to herself. Thank God the Altoids were individually wrapped.

“I could go for a cinnamon roll,” MG said with a shrug and an easygoing grin.

The group made quick work of packing up the tables and transporting everything back to their cars. Hope had just managed to shove the last chair into the back of the van when she turned to see Lizzie already walking away with MG in tow.

“I call driving with MG,” Lizzie practically sang, already skipping toward MG’s car.

“Lizzie,” Hope called out after her. Lizzie turned around and looked at her with a frown. Hope gestured to the van beside her. “We came together,” she said, though she figured it should be obvious. 

Lizzie raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “So? I told you, I don't wanna be caught driving around in the Altoid-mobile,” she explained. “You have the keys. You can find your own way.”

“I don’t have my license,” Hope called out to Lizzie’s back, not truly expecting her to turn around. Lizzie, as expected, ignored her. MG gave Hope an apologetic smile as he was dragged away.

Hope sighed deeply and shook her head in disbelief before she noticed that Josie was still standing beside her. Josie made no move to follow Lizzie and MG. 

“I’ll go with you,” Josie offered with a small smile.

Hope stared, her mind blanking slightly at the proposition. “Really?” she asked, her voice a little too high-pitched and her tongue feeling a bit too big in her mouth. She cleared her throat. “Um, I mean… sure, but only if you want to.”

Josie chuckled. “I want to,” she said simply. She glanced down at the keys hanging off of Hope’s belt. “And I could also drive, if you want?” she suggested with another shy smile.

Hope just stared at Josie for a moment before she remembered to respond. “That depends,” she teased with a grin. “Do you drive like your sister?”

Josie gave Hope a beaming smile that made her feel like she was on the verge of a heart attack. “Of course not,” she said with a wink. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Hope immediately handed over the keys to the van, and she tried desperately to suppress her blush while she climbed into the passenger's seat.

* * *

The drive was slightly awkward at first, as Hope imagined was probably normal for two virtual strangers suddenly finding themselves alone in a van. It wasn't helped by the fact that the van had no radio. 

The only music it could play had to be on a CD, and the only CD Hope and Lizzie had managed to find in the van earlier that morning was a strange album by a band called _The Red Hot Chili Pipers_. Hope had thought it was a typo at first, but when they began to play it, it turned out to be a bagpipe cover band.

Lizzie thought that it was absolutely hilarious. Hope chuckled as well, but as soon as Lizzie had pulled out of the driveway, Hope was too afraid for her life to truly process the music. Now, because Josie drove far more carefully than her sister, Hope was able to listen closer.

Hope was surprised to find out that she was actually enjoying the sound of bagpipes jamming out to _Seven Nation Army_ by The White Stripes, but she was too afraid to voice that thought out loud for fear of being judged. Hope reached out and turned the music down a little bit instead, deciding to try her luck at breaking the silence. “So,” she started awkwardly, the word long and drawn out. “How’d you end up working for Mentos?”

Josie glanced at Hope out of the corner of her eye, the corners of her lips tilting up ever-so-slightly. “My Dad’s actually kind of high-ranking in the company,” she explained with a shrug, taking a right-hand turn. "So, I intern there in the summer."

Hope nodded, slightly surprised. “Oh,” she said. Hope's lips tugged downward into a slightly confused frown. “Well, how did Lizzie end up promoting Altoids, then?”

Josie chuckled slightly under her breath, and Hope got the feeling that it was a long story. “She kind of had a rebel phase,” Josie answered, her lips twitching up into a smile like that was an understatement.

Hope frowned, her brow furrowing in response to this information. “She joined a competing mint company just to piss off your Dad?” Hope restated.

Josie laughed. “Yes, and it worked,” she confirmed, sparing Hope another glance when she slowed down for a stop sign. “My Dad’s sort of passionate about mints.”

“Oh. Wow,” Hope replied, not quite knowing what else to say. She didn't really know what it meant to be passionate about mints. She could certainly picture Lizzie doing something as dramatic as pledging allegiance to her Dad's competitors, though.

They fell into a more comfortable silence, the quiet sound of bagpipes luring them into a sense of security. Hope glanced out the window to see that they were kind of in the middle of nowhere, the road only bounded by trees and the occasional driveway. 

Suddenly, the music was interrupted by a loud, unhealthy clunking sound. The engine sputtered, the whole van jerking back erratically.

Josie's eyes widened as the van began to slow down on its own. She looked over at Hope with a slightly panicked expression. “Uh,” she yelped awkwardly. “Does it usually make that noise?”

Hope was slightly panicked herself, but she tried to hide it to avoid freaking Josie out further. “No, definitely not,” she replied. “You should pull over.”

Josie obeyed, flipping her hazards on despite the fact that there was no one around and pulling to the side of the road. Luckily, she was able to slow the vehicle to a halt without incident.

Hope hopped out of the van as soon as Josie threw it in park, headed toward the front to take a look at the engine. Josie moved to follow her, helping out by popping the hood open.

When Hope pulled open the hood, she was assaulted by a sudden burst of smoke. She reeled back, coughing and pushing Josie back a step by the shoulders to protect her from it.

Josie froze, her eyes widening as soon as Hope touched her. There was a beat where they just stared at each other, until Hope realized the position she’d just put herself in. She jolted back, nearly tripping over her feet to put some distance between them. “S-sorry,” she muttered with a heavy blush.

Josie gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine,” she said quietly, blushing herself.

Hope cleared her throat to attempt to break the awkwardness. “Um. So, I know nothing about cars,” she admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck and biting her lip.

Josie grinned, her eyes lighting up with amusement. Not for the first time, Hope realized that she was really, really pretty – and Hope immediately scolded herself internally. Now was not the time for this.

Josie stepped around Hope to move closer to the engine. “I’m no expert, either, but let me take a look at it,” she murmured.

She bent over the engine slightly, reaching out to attempt to nudge something to the side, hoping to pinpoint where the smoke was coming from.

The engine suddenly burst into flames. Hope immediately grabbed Josie by the waist, tugging her back a few steps to get her farther away from it.

“Holy shit, what did you just do?!” Hope yelped frantically, staring at the flames. It wasn’t a raging inferno, but there was certainly more fire coming out of the engine than there was probably supposed to be. Hope might’ve known nothing about cars, but she knew that much.

Josie pouted, spinning to look at her. Hope released her waist and took a step back, feeling her heart flutter despite the fact that they were now apparently in a crisis situation.

“I didn’t do anything, I swear!” Josie blurted out, her eyes pleading with Hope to believe her. “I was just looking.”

Hope frowned, looking at Josie skeptically. “It looked like you magically set it on fire,” Hope observed, her tone more bewildered than accusatory.

Josie rolled her eyes. “This isn’t _my_ fault,” she insisted. “We should probably sue your boss or something for letting you drive around in such a death trap.”

Hope raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, let’s worry about that later,” she drawled, her voice slightly sarcastic. She briefly stared down at the flames before looking back into Josie’s eyes. “What do we do?” Hope asked, clueless.

They both jumped as a weird crackling sound emitted from the car, and they turned to see that the flames appeared to be getting slightly larger.

“Um, first thing’s first. Let’s get away from it in case it explodes,” Josie suggested. She grabbed Hope by the hand and dragged her away from the car toward the wood line before she could protest.

The situation felt slightly less frantic from farther away. Josie was still holding Hope’s hand as she stared at the car from a distance, though, apparently without realizing it. It made Hope feel like she was about to have a panic attack.

Hope cleared her throat awkwardly. Josie suddenly realized that she was still holding Hope's hand, and she dropped it immediately like she'd been burned. Hope tried not to feel disappointed. 

“Well, I guess we should call the fire department?" Hope speculated uncertainly, already pulling out her phone out of her pocket. "Or Triple A?"

Josie nodded, switching into problem-solving mode. “Yeah. You do that, I’ll call Lizzie so she isn’t confused about where we are,” she said absentmindedly, also reaching for her phone.

Josie took a few steps away from Hope to give her some space to make a phone call. She immediately dialed Lizzie’s number.

Lizzie picked up after the third ring. “Hello?” her voice sounded from the other end. She sounded slightly annoyed that Josie was calling. Josie could hear some nondescript music blasting in the background, and she assumed that Lizzie had hijacked MG’s AUX cord.

“Uh, hey, it’s me,” Josie started, her voice still slightly shaky from the panic she was trying to hold off. “So, Hope and I might need to take a raincheck for Cinnabon’s,” she said carefully. Josie paused, wondering how exactly she should phrase this. “The van caught on fire.”

Josie heard the background music go quiet, and then there was a long silence in response. After a moment, Josie pulled the phone away from her ear and glanced at the screen just to be sure the call hadn’t dropped.

Josie put the phone back up to her ear. “Lizzie?” she prompted, sounding uncertain that anyone was listening.

Lizzie eventually spoke again, her voice steady and neutral. “You know, it’s alright if you guys want to ditch us to go make out, Jo,” she said. Josie could practically hear Lizzie's nonchalant shrug through the phone. “You don’t have to lie about it.”

Josie nearly yelped at that, her voice high and squeaky when she spoke again. “We’re _not_ –”

Josie cut herself off, glancing nervously in Hope’s direction to make sure that Lizzie’s comment hadn’t been overheard. She was relieved to see that Hope was also still on the phone. 

Hope seemed to be fully immersed in the conversation she was having with who Josie could only assume was a firefighter, in fact. She was pouting slightly, and apparently swearing on her honor that the van had spontaneously combusted and not been set on fire on purpose. It was adorable.

Josie snapped out of it, looking away and remembering what Lizzie had just accused her of. “I’m not lying,” she claimed, trying to keep her voice down to avoid attracting Hope's attention. “The van is actually on fire.”

There was a moment of silence again. “Oh,” Lizzie replied, apparently unsure of how to react. “Well, do you need me to do something?”

Josie frowned, glancing over at Hope again. She was still on the phone. “No, Hope’s calling the fire department, I guess,” she told Lizzie.

“Okay, cool,” Lizzie’s voice rang through the phone, somehow simultaneously cheerful and indifferent once again. “Well, MG and I are still going to get cinnamon rolls. Have fun with Hope.”

Just like that, Lizzie hung up.

Hope was only on the phone with the fire department for a few more minutes. While she waited, Josie walked over to a large tree on the edge of the wood line and sat on the ground with her back pressed up against it.

When Hope finally finished her call, the two were immersed in sudden silence. Hope turned around to see Josie sitting with her back against the tree. 

The tree was big enough that Hope could sit down right beside her without encroaching too much into Josie's space. Josie didn't really seem to be bothered by having Hope in her personal space, though - their legs brushed against each other as Hope sat down, and Josie didn't even flinch.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, much calmer now that help was on the way. 

Eventually, Hope broke the silence when a growl of her stomach made her realize how hungry she was. “I really wanted a cinnamon roll,” she complained with a miserable frown.

Josie laughed like that was the funniest thing in the world, and Hope found herself automatically laughing along with her. Something about the bizarre situation and the adrenaline of a crisis combined to make everything seem hilarious. 

“Well, look on the bright side,” Josie muttered in reply once she caught her breath, her voice light and teasing. “Even if we’re stranded out here, we'll probably be able to survive on Altoids for a while.”

Hope was reminded of something Josie had said earlier in the day. “Have you really never had an Altoid?” she asked with a raised eyebrow before she could think better of it.

“Nope,” Josie answered with a shrug and a half-smile. “I guess the opportunity just never presented itself.” 

Hope frowned - that didn't sit right with her. She knew that it was just a mint and everything, but Hope did work for the company, after all. For some reason, she wanted Josie to know what an Altoid tasted like. “Well, this seems like the perfect opportunity. You should try one,” Hope suggested. Hope reached into her pocket, finding the Altoid container she always kept on her in case of an emergency. “Here.”

Josie looked at the container with surprise. When she recognized what it was, she only hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grab it. She pulled one of the mints out of the container and popped it into her mouth.

Hope waited patiently, anticipating Josie's review.

Josie took a moment to mull it over. “Wait, this is good,” she said, surprised. “It’s…,” she trailed off, searching for the words.

“Curiously strong?” Hope offered.

Josie giggled, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, that’s not _exactly_ what I was going to say, but… yeah, sure,” she agreed with a shrug.

Hope smiled, her eyes lighting up as though she had just won the lottery. Then, her expression grew serious. “Better than Mentos?” she asked, as if the fate of the world depended on Josie's answer.

Josie rolled her eyes playfully and leaned closer. Hope's heart skipped a beat when she realized how close they were. “Don’t tell Lizzie I said this or she’ll never let me live it down,” Josie requested, her voice dropping into a whisper like she was about to reveal her biggest secret. “But yeah, I think it might be better than Mentos.”

Hope laughed, shaking her head and trying to control her smile. She had just fully realized how ridiculous the whole Altoids-versus-Mentos Saltzman family feud was. 

Josie’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she studied Hope's reaction. “But here,” she said, pulling a Mentos container out of her jacket pocket and offering it to Hope. “You tell me.”

Hope raised an eyebrow, but she decided to play along. She took the container and popped a Mento into her mouth. She paused like she was thinking, keeping Josie in suspense for a pause. “Nah,” she finally said. “I think I still prefer Altoids, honestly.”

Josie smirked, like that was exactly what she'd expected Hope to say. She stared at Hope intently for a long moment, to the point where Hope nearly began to worry that there might be something on her face.

Then, Josie closed her eyes and began to lean in - slowly enough that Hope would've been able to dodge out of the way if she'd wanted to. Hope froze, her eyes widening to an extreme and her breath hitching in her throat as she realized what was happening.

Hope, of course, didn't want to stop Josie from kissing her, so she just sat still as a statue and tried to keep herself from having an aneurysm. She didn't have to panic for long, as Josie soon pressed their lips together. Hope could taste the mint on her lips. She managed to relax into the kiss with a sigh, bringing a hand up to pull Josie closer by the back of the neck.

The two only pulled apart when they heard a loud popping noise. It had come from the van, which was now so on fire that Hope could see red-hot, molten metal dripping onto the ground next to the tire.

"Oh, God," Hope muttered to herself in response, horrified at the way the fire had evolved. Josie was also staring at it beside her, but she looked more intrigued than anything else.

The pair became aware of sirens approaching in the distance. They glanced at each other and burst out laughing, the absurdity of the day's events hitting them all at once.

**Author's Note:**

> Stan Hosie and Altoids.
> 
> This was requested, believe it or not.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @Th3Nutcase


End file.
